Late Nights and a Strange Man
by artifishly
Summary: He's a dangerous man and Aurora knows it, but that doesn't stop her from conversing with the notorious Captain Hook to keep her mind off of a recent tragedy.
1. Sleepless

For someone who had been in a deep slumber for more than a decade, Aurora was having difficulty bringing herself to fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, the princess could only think of Phillip and the short amount of time that they had been able to spend with each other. The feeling of the passionate kiss that they had shared shortly before his demise still made her lips tingle and she yearned to feel that way again, with her heart beating against her chest like a drum. She still found it difficult to believe that he was actually dead, despite Mulan's countless reminders that he was dead. Mulan. Sometimes, when she looked at her, Aurora could see the pain in her eyes whenever Phillip was mentioned. The female warrior had once mentioned the work they'd done together, but Aurora hadn't been interested.

She still wasn't interested. She just wanted Phillip back.

Shaking her head, Aurora brought herself to her feet and exited her tent, carrying a brightly lit candle in her left hand. A breeze blew past her almost immediately after she stepped foot out of the tent, but the fire that lit the candle managed to keep as she moved away from the tent. To her left stood the tent that belonged to Emma and her supposed mother, Snow. While, to the right, Mulan's tent stood nearby, a light glowing through the fabric. She considered joining the warrior, but imagining the conversations that would take place, she quickly changed her mind. Their feelings for Phillip were both too strong and she didn't want to argue, nor did she want to venture into memory lane.

Aurora sighed and instead shifted her gaze in front of her, where a tree stood only a few feet away from them. Focusing her ears upon the sounds of her surroundings, she could hear a groan emitting from the tree, followed by a line of curses that Aurora would have never uttered, no matter the circumstance.

She swallowed, her curiosity getting the best of her.

While she had been the reason the strange man was still alive, Aurora hadn't really spoken to him. "Killian?" Her voice was soft and barely heard over the sounds of nature surrounding her. "K-Killian?" She stepped forward, dead grass crunching beneath her petite feet.

The man looked up, his smile gleaming from the light of her candle. "Let me guess, you're the helpless one in the bunch, aren't you?"

Aurora was tempted to turn around from her spot, regretting her choice to leave the comfort of her tent. The other girls had warned her to stay away from him - that Killian Jones was a dangerous man, but there was something about him that she couldn't shake.

"I'm not helpless," she declared, pulling out the knife she had used in her attempt to kill Snow White. "I am capable of defending myself. Besides," she paused for a moment, "I'm not the one who is missing a hand."

"Was that supposed to hurt my feelings?" Killian laughed half-heartedly before he smirked in her direction. "I may be missing a hand, but they don't call me Captain Hook without reason." The light of Aurora's candle flickered wildly as she the brunette remembered the hook Snow had found at the site of the ogre massacre. She considered asking him about it, but quickly decided against it, afraid of what stories she might hear if he responded.

So, she changed the subject as she stepped closer to him, as if to prove that she wasn't actually afraid of him, though her heart felt as if it was going to bust through her chest. "Emma said that we shouldn't trust you," she began slowly. "Is that true?"

"I believe that is something that you should decide. From what I heard, you didn't exactly trust Snow or her daughter." Killian narrowed his eyes and set them upon her again. Standing this close to him in the dim light of her candle, she could see him clearly again. And, without that fearful look he'd had when their group had found him, Aurora could see just how _charming_ he looked and it caught her off guard.

The rugged male appeared to notice this and he began to lean forward, close enough to hear her breath. "Do you trust me, princess?"He tilted his head as he read her expression. "You were the one who convinced Emma that I should live, so I assumed that you did. But now you just look afraid." He backed away from her and struggled against his bonds. Mulan and Emma had done their best to make it as difficult as possible for Killian to escape, so Aurora doubted he'd be able to get out on his own.

After a moment of struggle, he relaxed and spared a glance in her direction. "Are you regretting your decision?"

Aurora hesitated and Killian took this silence as an answer. "Alright, I understand. I'd love to sway your opinion on that, however." The pirate tossed another charming smile her way and she felt her mind completely wander away from Phillip for the first time since his death.

"I - uh…" she struggled to find the words to say, but she came up blank and Killian simply laughed in response as he struggled against the ropes. Upon seeing this, Aurora snapped back to reality and set the candle down on the ground, thankful that she had thought of a candleholder. "I could untie you," she offered, already toying with the ropes. "Not to say that I - I trust you. It's just that… this looks really uncomfortable and I see no reason to keep you tied up to a tree if you won't run." Her fingers were already beginning to burn from the ropes and she could only imagine how much he might be hurting. "You won't run will you?"

"I don't have anywhere to run, dear."

Aurora blushed and set to working at the ropes again. "Oh yes, of course."


	2. Questions

Aurora had expected Killian to say something to her as they made their way through the vast forest, but the pirate seemed completely out of it, if anything. With his jaw tightened and his good hand clasped into a fist at his side, Killian simply walked alongside Aurora without a single word, seemingly uninterested in the princess. He was lost in thought - that much Aurora could see in his ocean blue eyes – and that was the only thing that kept her from breaking the silence.

She knew that expression all to well, for she had been mourning over Phillip's death for quite some time. She thought about her deceased true love all the time and, though she had her doubts, she wondered if Killian was doing the same. Aurora pursed her lips and looked quizzically at the pirate, as if the answer might be hidden in his eyes. She didn't know his past (not to mention part of her was too afraid to find out) but she had never heard of a pirate falling for a woman. Pirates, as far as Aurora was concerned, were horrible men that took advantage of any female they could get their hands on.

But when Aurora looked at Killian, that's not at all what she felt.

Suddenly Killian turned to face Aurora, tilting his head to the side. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Aurora instantly felt uncomfortable under his gaze and she turned away, hiding her face behind a blanket of her auburn hair. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she said softly. Her heart began to race against her own will and she attempted to slow it, but to no avail.

Killian didn't appear to be satisfied by this response, but he looked ahead anyways, apparently uninterested in ridiculous behavior. "I was only asking," he responded, opening his hand to run it through his hair, which fell effortlessly back into place. "I'm not going to hurt you." It wasn't exactly reassuring, but Aurora hesitantly nodded at him, though Killian didn't notice. "May I ask you a question, princess?"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. I'm not even supposed to be here with you," Aurora muttered, brushing a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. She wasn't entirely sure if she regretted her decision to leave camp just yet, but she was willing to admit that the man beside her still terrified her to some degree and she wished that her skill with the knife was better so that she could at least defend herself. "Emma said -"

"I don't care what Emma says," he interrupted, something new seeping into his voice, something she couldn't quite place. Hatred? Anger? "If I remember correctly, she isn't even from our world. I thought that you were going to decide for yourself if you trusted me, that you wouldn't base your opinion of me off of what Emma believed to be true. She may know some of my story, but she doesn't know all of it."

In response, Aurora simply remained silent, unsure of what to tell the pirate. She couldn't bring herself to believe that he was truly as horrible as Emma made him out to be, but she certainly didn't trust Killian more than she did Emma.

Killian took this silence as an opening for his question and he stopped in the middle of the trail, taking Aurora's hand in his in order to bring her to a halt. "What are you doing out here wandering with a pirate? Even Mulan had enough sense to stay in her tent."

Aurora barely hesitated before she answered. "I haven't been able to sleep much since my curse was lifted and my true love was killed." She swallowed. "He's all I can ever think about, it seems."

"Your true love?" Killian scoffed. "True love doesn't exist."

"It does," Aurora countered, obviously offended by his comment. She knew true love, for it had been her savior. "True love is the reason that I stand here before you, otherwise I would still be lying unconscious on a slab of stone. Of course, how could I ever expect a pirate to understand what true love is?" Aurora narrowed her eyes at him before she noticed that his cerulean eyes were cast down upon his left arm, where his hand was missing. She wondered if there was some connection but she felt guilty about asking, so she kept the question to herself, sure that the answer would eventually come to the surface.

Killian straightened up and looked out at the sky. "I've known love before, but I'm not quite sure it was what I'd consider to be true." He paused, letting his eyes fall on Aurora. "I wouldn't want to bore you with that story, though."

"You wouldn't bore me," she promised him, but her voice sounded empty. Perhaps, she thought, it was because of what he had said of love, of _true love_. "I would like to hear your story."

Killian studied Aurora for a moment before he finally gave in and led her over to a nearby tree, where they sat with their backs to the trunk. At first, Killian said nothing, and Aurora thought that he had changed his mind, but suddenly he cleared his throat and began to speak tell his story**.**


	3. Answers and Hesitation

**Killian's POV**

* * *

_"I wouldn't want to bore you with that story, though."_

When Killian had said that, he'd really meant that he didn't want to talk about it. Why he'd even bothered to mention Milah to the princess was beyond him, but he found that he couldn't say no to her when she offered to lend an ear. He hadn't spoken about Milah in a long time, though he supposed the pain that came along with the vivid memories of her had been the true reason behind it. He had loved her more than he had ever loved any other woman before and even now, centuries following her death, Killian couldn't recover from the impact of her death.

Silently, the pirate thought back on his previous statement regarding the all-powerful _true love_ that could break any curse. _"True_ _love doesn't exist."_ His chest heaved at the thought. True love didn't exist - at least, not in the way he'd been taught. Before Milah, Killian had believed that true love could withstand everything that normal love could not. Unfortunately, this had been proven to be false when Milah had died at the hands of the Dark One, of Rumpelstiltskin.

True love, Killian had decided, brought nothing but misfortune to the people who believed in it. He had watched as the woman he'd loved had been torn from their world by the Dark One before his hand had been taken as well. What good had come to either of them from love?

Turning his head to the side, Killian noticed Aurora's eyes wandering towards him, curiosity sparkling in them as she waited, patiently. She sat with her hands in her lap, the way he suspected a princess might wait. He was mildly surprised that she hadn't given up the act of the "perfect princess", seeing as the world she had known was now a wasteland, with beasts waiting at every corner. But there she sat, seemingly unfazed by everything that had occurred.

"Her name was Milah, and I suppose it's fair to say that she is the only woman that I have ever truly love," he finally began, making brief eye-contact with the princess. The words weighed harder on him as he spoke them, despite the fact that he'd expected them to do the exact opposite. "It was love at first sight, I guess you can say. I met her at the tavern in her town and we fell in love with each other." He shrugged as if it were nothing. "But... she was the wife of a coward, and while we were able to avoid her husband for several years, he eventually found us and he sought to inflict pain on us." Killian's expression fell as he spoke, the words tumbling rather weakly from his lips now as he remembered Milah standing with her head held high on the deck of the ship face to face with Rumpelstiltskin. In retrospect, she'd been stronger than him in that moment. He hadn't seen what had been coming for them - he'd been helpless. "And he achieved that, Aurora. He killed her right in front of me when he returned, along with taking my hand." He held the stub at the end of his arm out for Aurora to get a better look at the damage. It had long sense healed, but the wound fueled continued to fuel his anger and his hatred for the Dark One.

Moments passed in silence as Aurora let this information sink in. It was obvious that she hadn't expected his story to have such a horrible ending, for she had cast her eyes down at her hands, distracting herself from the pirate sitting next to her. Killian watched her attentively, but said nothing, convinced that he had told her everything that she needed to know.

_'Perhaps,' _he wondered to himself, _'she'll understand how pointless believing in true love is.'_

"I'm sorry," Aurora told him quietly. "That's horrible..." Her voice trailed off into silence once again as she brushed aside a strand of auburn hair. "I guess that... I guess we're more alike than I originally thought."

"Huh?" Killian raised a brow at the princess, surprised at the sudden comparison.

"We've both lost the ones we love," Aurora said, finally making eye contact with Killian.

Killian considered this before he got to his feet. He dusted his rags off immediately, wishing that he'd been able to wear his usual attire and not the clothes that Cora had suggested. He looked down at Aurora, frowning. "Don't try to compare us, princess. We're nothing alike."

Aurora frowned at him as she lifted the candle from the ground. "It was only an observation," she snapped, seeming somewhat offended at his opposition to her comparison. "I thought we could relate, but you've proven me wrong." The princess turned swiftly on her heel and began to walk away from him, towards the camp. "We should return before the others begin to worry." She didn't wait, nor did she turn around to see if the pirate was following behind. She seemed to know that he wouldn't run and soon Killian was moving briskly to catch up to her.

"Aurora," he called after the brunette female. She didn't hesitate or turn to look over her shoulder. She simply continued to walk. "Are you angry at me now?"

It was then that the princess twirled around and stopped just inches away from him. "I... it's nothing, Killian. It's getting late, let's just go before they realize that I freed you." Her eyes lingered on him and she opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something else, but she stopped herself before anything even came out and she turned her back to him again.


	4. Alone

_Woah! School has truly been hectic this week and was surely a rollercoaster of emotions. I've been out of it, but I'm back and so excited to present you with the new chapter of 'Late Nights and a Strange Man'. I really hope that this turned out alright. And if you don't like it, please give me some CONSTRUCTIVE critique. That is always appreciated. Enjoy._

_- J_

* * *

**Aurora's POV**

"What the hell were you thinking, Aurora?!"

The princess flinched as the blonde female stepped towards her, frustration seeping into every word she spoke. She was angry at her, just as the rest of the group was. Mulan stood off to the side, having said her own words first. Perhaps it'd been her close relationship with her true love (Aurora was absentmindedly beginning to use this term loosely since her conversation with Killian), Phillip, that kept her from yelling at her as Aurora knew she wanted to. Snow, on the other hand, watched the conversation unravel with crossed arms. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. She looked so motherly that Aurora could actually believe, for the first time, that she was truly Emma's mom.

Emma stepped forward and raised a finger to the brunette's face. "You could have been killed or worse!" Aurora flinched as the foreigner suddenly reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her grasp was light, but it did nothing to comfort the female. "You can't trust Hook. I've read Peter Pan before and he's the villain." She said this as if it explained everything that Aurora needed to know.

Aurora's face pinched together as Emma gestured towards Killian, who stood off to the side in silence. Looking at the man - who was now less than a stranger than he'd been yesterday - Aurora felt herself growing irritated at both of them. However, despite how she felt towards Killian at the moment for ignoring her attempt to reach out to him, Aurora wasn't about to let Emma speak that way about him. As far as she was concerned, Emma's presumptions about him were all wrong. Where Emma saw a dangerous, manipulative pirate, Aurora someone who had walked down the wrong path after he'd lost the one he loved. Of course, Aurora wondered if these feelings were only coming to the surface because of how alone she felt.

"You don't know anything about him," she said finally, gazing at the pirate for longer than she meant to. Killian caught her gaze at that moment and smiled at her so quickly that she barely caught it. She tried to remind herself that she was still a little angry at him for the way he'd responded to her, but she couldn't seem to keep herself from smiling back.

"And you do?" Emma responded quickly, gesturing wildly with her hands to no place in particular.

Aurora nodded slowly as she broke eye-contact with the brunette male. "Perhaps," she mumbled, "I might know more than you know of him." She didn't understand why she found herself so offended by what Emma said about Killian, but she absolutely refused to believe that he was as villanous as she made her out to be.

"I doubt that," Emma muttered, her face wrinkled in complete and utter frustration with the petite woman before her, but upon seeing Aurora's expression equally as irritated as hers, she relaxed. "Just don't do that again. We all thought that Hook killed you." Her steely eyes bore into Aurora for a split second before she turned her back on her.

Too shocked to speak, Aurora stood alone in the clearing as Mulan and Emma began to take down all the tents while Snow asked them where they should go next.

"You don't have to stand up for me." Aurora jumped at the sound of Killian's honeyed voice as he came up from behind her, brushing a strand of her tawny brown hair aside. He appeared to be back to his usual self. Unlike yesterday, he had an air of confidence about him now that made Aurora wonder just how real that melancholy man had been the night before.

"I wasn't really standing up for you," she responded. "I just thought that she should know that you weren't how she remembered you to be in the books."

"I never said the books were completely wrong."

"Yes, but they still don't have the entire story." Aurora turned in a half-circle to meet Killian's gaze.

"I think that it's fair enough to say that the books have enough of my story to condemn me as the villain, my dear."

Aurora frowned, crossing her arms as she looked at him, a feeling of confusion beginning to settle within her. He was too strange, she decided, for her to figure out which side he was truly on. He'd sworn his allegiance to their group, but only because it was safer than traveling with Cora. What would he do if he was given the chance to join the Evil Queen's mother? She wanted to believe that she'd seen enough of him to know that he wouldn't, but she'd only be fooling herself - she saw still fooling herself anyways. She had already begun to think that she knew Killian, but that was as far from that as she'd been upon meeting him. Looking in his eyes, Aurora saw an ocean of mysteries within that she wanted to dive into, despite knowing that there might be some things about him that she didn't want to know.

"I'm still unsure," she said randomly, tearing her eyes away from his mesmerizing blues.

Killian cocked an eyebrow. "About what, princess?"

"I'm not sure if I should trust you or not." Everything the pirate did left Aurora feeling more confused than before. He made her feel as if she were just another piece in his game and she was easy to work, like putty in his hand and hook.

"I feel as if you're trying to trick me," she admitted.

"I can assure you that I'm doing nothing of the sort. Last night you asked for my story and I told you. There weren't any secret strings that I was pulling." He paused for a moment and his attention seemed to sway off to the trees where the wind seemed to rustle the leaves. He frowned before he looked back at Aurora. "I was completely honest with you."

Somehow, his confession didn't comfort her and she remained silent and unmoving. Killian watched her attentitively, as if he were trying to figure her out.

"Did I offend you last night, Aurora?"

Her eyes snapped up and she replayed the words she'd spoken to him in her mind. _"I guess we're more alike than I thought."_ She remembered how quickly he'd disagreed with her, and for some reason she'd felt angry towards him. Aurora played with the fabric of her dress as a distraction, unsure of how to respond. "I just thought that we had something in common. But, as you said, you were being honest. I'd hardly describe myself as being hurt." She shrugged and gave him the best passive expression she could manage. Killian didn't appear to buy it, but he nodded anyways before he gestured towards the camp. Together they walked to the campsite, where the girls had already begun to take down the tents. They talked amongst themselves and paid little attention to the pair as they walked by.

"Is there anything that I could do to help?" Aurora asked quietly, looking at the campsite, which was basically completely cleared out.

Mulan looked up at her from the bundles of firewood before looking at their surroundings. There wasn't much that Aurora could do to help, but Aurora had thought it best to ask. "Not really. Emma might need some help collecting the -" The warrior was cut off by the sound of an arrow whizzing past her ear, just barely grazing her skin. Mulan didn't waste any time, for she had her sword in her hand in a matter of seconds. Aurora looked at Mulan cluelessly. "Bandits," Mulan explained, short and too the point just moments before they were ambushed.

* * *

Everything happened so quickly.

The bandits came upon them in what seemed like seconds with their weapons raised and masks pulled over their faces so that it was difficult to make out who they were. Aurora clumsily reached for her knife, despite knowing what to do with the weapon. She was no killer, even if the victim would have likely been trying to kill her themselves. Still, she held the blade out in front of her as if it might threaten them, though she knew better. Her entire body shook from fear.

"Get to safety!" Mulan called out for the group to hear. Nobody responded, but they all understood.

Aurora immediately turned on her heel to run away from the violence when she ran directly into one of the bandits, who chuckled deeply as she dropped her knife. "Where do you think you're going?" Aurora opened her mouth, but her voice caught in her throat and she failed to complete more than a senseless sentence. The man grinned through his mask and ran his blade against her cheek playfully. "You must be Aurora, right? Cora said you were the helpless one."

Aurora's eyes widened in surprised. "Cora?"

"Yes, the old Queen of Hearts herself asked for us to ambush your little camp and in return we get enough food to last us -" The man made a gagging sound and his grip loosened as he looked down at his chest, where a gaping hole had formed in his chest. He cursed under his breath before he fell to the ground, revealing Killian standing behind him. Aurora looked at him, astonishment written all over her face as she watched the pirate, whom smiled at her.

"Mulan said we need to get to safety," he stated simply after a moment, his expression becoming a more serious one. Aurora attempted to look back, but Killian put his hand on her face to stop her. "They'll all be fine. But we need to do as Mulan said and that means that we must leave _now_."

Aurora's lips parted as she began to protest, but she knew that now wasn't the time to do so. Despite what the bandit had said, Aurora knew that their best chance was to leave and to meet up with the girls later. "Fine." Killian held out his hand for her to take and Aurora eyed it with suspicion creeping up inside of her. "Let's go," she agreed as she took his hand.

* * *

**Killian's POV**

Somehow by another silly twist of fate, Killian was stuck walking with Princess Aurora again - _alone_.

And she was asking questions, once again.

"The man mentioned Cora before you... killed him," Aurora said softly, self-consciously rubbing at the bruises the man's grip had left on her pale arms. "Cora was the woman you were working with, yes?"

Killian wasn't surprised to hear that Cora was somehow behind the ambush. He hadn't known her very long, perhaps fifty years at most, but he was aware of the gruesome acts the woman had committed in her lifetime. Cora usually stopped at nothing to get what she wanted, and the attack on the refuggee camp had been one of a million other acts she had committed. An attack on Aurora's group wouldn't have been too difficult for the witch to succeed in.

The pirate nodded at her. "Yes, I was working with her, but it's important for you to know that that alliance is but a thing of the past."

"So you didn't arrange for her to attack us?"

"I wouldn't do that."

Aurora suddenly stopped walking and Killian felt compelled to do the same. He tilted his head at the girl, bit at her lip. "Is she going to kill them?" She looked at him with worry in her eyes.

"I... well, I honestly don't know, Aurora." For the first time in awhile, he felt unsure of himself. He really didn't know what Cora's true intentions were, since they'd been on their way to find the Aurora lowered her brown eyes to her hands, which she opened and closed in frustration. "We'll find them," he promised upon seeing her solemned expression. "If you want to, we shall find them. But tonight you must rest, you must be exhausted."

"I am," Aurora replied, stepping forward next to him, "but I still have nightmares about... _him_. I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I wanted to, Killian."

Killian considered this with a quick glance at their surroundings. There was nobody in sight, not even Cora, who he'd seen standing in the bushes earlier that day. He looked back at Aurora and sucked in a quiet breath. "What if I tell you there's nothing to worry about?" he asked her. He didn't even wait for an answer before he continued. "I'll protect you, if that makes you feel any better."

"It does," she said before Killian pulled the brown rags from his body and laid them out for the princess to lie on. Aurora thanked him before she took her place on the ground, where she closed her eyes. Moment later Aurora opened her eyes and spoke again, her voice sounding guilty, "I still can't fall asleep."

_'Too bad'_ was what the pirate wanted to say, but he stopped himself from doing so, as he knew that he wouldn't mean it.

"What would Phillip do?" Killian inquired, taking a seat beside the princess. Upon looking at her expression, he could see that he'd touched a sore subject. Her brown orbs were once again filled with sorrow.

"He was never there for me when I had nightmares - he never got the chance to be." She leaned into him. "But, I imagine that he would have done the same as you. Except, he probably would have kissed me goodnight as well."

"Oh. The true love thing again?" Killian scoffed at her as he had the night before. He could feel Aurora smiling into his chest and he pretended not to notice as the girl yawned softly, already beginning to nod off to sleep.

"Killian?"

"Huh?"

"Thank you for saving me from that bandit. You certainly didn't have to do that."

Killian nodded. "It was nothing, princess," he told her, though he did wonder what had driven him to save the girl. He could have easily rescued Emma, Snow, or Mulan, but he'd gone to save Aurora without a second-thought. He had known immediately that she was the one he'd protect, and he had.

"And..." Aurora's voice broke through the silence that had settled over them again as she lifted her head to look at him.

"And what? You should sleep," he replied, frowning at the princess.

"It's not too late for you to find another love. Perhaps you may even find your true love," Aurora assured him with another quiet yawn before she fell asleep, leaving the pirate to think on her words. He cast his eyes on her as her breathing evened out. He wondered, briefly, what she was dreaming of, though he supposed it could be none other than Phillip. Killian grimaced as he began to feel a twinge of jealousy towards the dead man. He shook the feeling away as quickly as he could before her words entered his mind again.

_"Perhaps you may even find your true __love." _

He laughed bitterly before he placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead.

"How absurd."


	5. Reveries

**Killian's POV**

"That Aurora is quite the optimistic,her thoughts are absurd indeed."

From the behind the shadows a woman carefully stepped over the bushes as the pirate watched her, not nearly as surprised as he probably should have been. He had seen her back at the camp, hiding behind the green brush just moments before the bandits had raided them, and Killian had suspected that she would have likely come to him to brag about her triumph over her rivals or to discuss his new alliance with the refugees. Now she stood before him, arms crossed over her chest with a smirk playing upon her thin lips. And rather than looking worried about her sudden arrival, Killian simply looked at her with the most unamused expression he could muster.

"What are you doing here Cora?" His eyes narrowed as he spoke, a bite to his voice. He moved to stand up, but realized that Aurora was still sleeping soundly against his body and stopped his movement. The last thing he needed to do was to wake Aurora while Cora was in their presense, for he could see in the woman's eyes that she hadn't expected to see Aurora with him, so alive and well.

Cora brushed aside a stray strand of her brown hair with an exasperrated sigh. "I expected a better greeting than that, Hook. Of course, I just expected better from you," she replied to him, her expression stone almost, if not equally, as unamused as Killian's. However, in response, Killian could only shrug.

"I should say the same to you." His voice was hushed now, keeping in mind that Aurora was still sleeping peacefully beside him. "I must say that I hadn't expected you to be quite so... hasty, Cora. Attacking the camp? Exactly what purpose did that serve you?"

"It was supposed to get you alone," she replied without a moment's hesitation, her eyes sparkling with irritation. "You were beginning to lose focus on the task at hand and I couldn't afford that."

"I wasn't losing focus. I knew exactly what I was doing, Cora."

"If you knew what you were doing, then why is Aurora here instead of with the rest of her wretched group?" Cora retorted, moving towards him. "If you weren't distracted, you would have left her with the bandits."

"It was a part of the plan." Deep down, Killian knew that it wasn't a part of any plan. She wasn't a piece in a game. Out of all the things that he did not know, Killian was sure of this. He had wanted to protect Aurora back at the camp not because he was trying to mold her, but because something inside of him had told him to do so. Quietly, Killian cursed under his breath, for he hadn't thought about what Cora would think of his actions, despite knowing of her prescence. "Don't let this," he nodded down at Aurora, "convince you that I am not on your side. My only goal is to defeat Rumpelstiltskin and you are the only one who can provide me with such a thing."

"And yet I feel your heart would tell me a much different story, Hook."

Despite the sleeping figure lying on him, Killian gently pushed her aside and stood up to face Cora, offended that she would doubt his loyalty, even if he was still unsure of who he would follow. As the captain of the Jolly Roger, Killian wasn't particularly used to playing well with others, especially those who tried to lead him. "Listen here, Cora, I have done nothing to betray your trust. If anything, I was gaining the trust of Aurora to make our plan run a little smoother." He approached the older woman in a few quick strides, pointing his hook directly at her. "If you hadn't sent those bandits to raid the camp, you and I would have already retrieved the compass and would have already been on our own merry way to Storybrooke."

"Don't talk to me like that," she spat, smacking away Killian's hook. "It would be best if you remembered who you were speaking to, my friend."

Killian smirked. "We both know we're not friends, Cora. We are merely allies."

"Allies?" Cora scoffed. "Now I'm beginning to doubt the truth in that, Hook." She pushed him aside roughly, using her magic to push him further away from her before she made her way towards Aurora, who was still sleeping soundly, despite how loud their voices had become. "If anyone here is allies, I'd wager it's you and this princess, despite the fact she can do nothing to assist you in skinning your little crocodile. No matter, though. If you'd rather have this princess at your side, then you may have her with you, dead." Cora knelt down beside Aurora and drove her hand into her chest. The princess awoke with a gasp and her eyes widened at the sight of Cora, but she couldn't speak.

Seeing Aurora as Cora pulled out her heart brought back the memory of Milah's death, and Killian sprung to his feet to stop the witch. "Don't involve her in this. She had nothing to do with this."

"But your heart tells a much different story, Killian. The heart never lies," she responded as she pulled her hand out of Aurora's chest, the princess' heart in her grasp. She turned around and faced Killian with a smile as she squeezed the heart to dust. "Maybe now you'll know better than to betray me for a princess."

* * *

"Killian... Killian..."

Killian snapped violently out of his dream, ocean blue eyes widened in surprise as he gasped for air as if he had been drowning. He looked at his surroundings in confusion, unsure if he were still stuck in his horrid reverie or if he had truly awoken. His chest heaved and fell quickly as his heartbeat quickened, each beat getting louder than the other. The sound filled his ears and he barely caught the faint sound of Aurora speaking at his side, just as he barely felt her tugging at his clothes. It wasn't until her cold, shaking hands touched Killian's face that he acknowledged her existence and snapped his eyes at her.

"Are you alright, Killian? I was beginning to worry that something was wrong," the princess said, her eyes filled with an unusual amount of worry. "I tried to wake you earlier, but I didn't want to frighten you."

"I'm not easily frigthened, milady," he replied, though not thoroughly convinced by his own words. After all, he had just seen what had appeared to be Aurora's death. "Thank you for your concern, though."

Aurora smiled weakly. "I also found something while you were asleep." From under her shawl, Aurora pulled out a neatly folded letter and handed it to him. "It's addressed to you." Killian took the paper from her hands, which had begun to shake once again. "It's from Cora."

Raising a brow in surprise, the male opened the letter to read. "Did you look at it?" he asked her, looking at her out of the corner of his blue eyes.

Aurora bit down on her lip. "Yes, I did." She inhaled a shaky breath. "Killian... she's going to kill them if we..." Her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes shut in frustration. "If we don't get the compass for her then she'll kill them, Killian. I can't let that happen. Mulan was told to protect me. At the very least, I need to return the favor to her... if not all of them, even if it means that I must die trying."

The thought of the princess dying brought back the image of her heart glowing in Cora's hand, and Killian clenced his only good hand with a sigh. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I don't have any other choice, Killian," she responded. "I'm not going to sit here and do nothing when they're counting on me." She looked up at Killian, the same worry glowing in her eyes again. "I have to get the compass to save them."

"_We're_ getting the compass," he told her, gaining a surprised glance from Aurora. "I told you that I would assist you in finding your friends and I don't intend to back up on that now. I didn't save you to turn my back on you. Besides, Cora is only sending you off to find the compass because the beanstalk is a death trap, love. Despite what you might think, I'm not going to let you die. I swear."


	6. Just A Kiss

Sorry for the long wait for the next chapter of my fanfiction. I've just been really uninspired as of late, but here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Remember to give me some critique because every piece of advice is kept in mind.

* * *

**Aurora's POV**

Ever since their conversation about Cora's letter, the pirate had done nothing but try to discourage Aurora from saving her friends. It was natural, she guessed, that he would want to keep her from embarking on such a dangerous mission, but Aurora wasn't worried about putting her life in danger, not anymore. Her only fear was failing. What was her life compared to that of Snow White, Emma Swan, or the fearless Mulan? Aurora knew the answer without having to ask it aloud. She was in no way more important than her three companions and that was why she was not going to be swayed by anything that Killian told her. For more than a decade, Aurora had slept a dreamless and supposed eternal sleep. Surely, she thought, death would not be much different. But, unlike her curse, a simple kiss from one's true love would not do the trick.

"The giants aren't a joke, princess."

Aurora glowered at the pirate and nearly tripped over her dress as she lost focus on her footing. The dress wasn't made for long treks during the wilderness, but she didn't have anything better to wear. "Oh, Killian, I am quite aware that killing the giant will be no easy feat. Perhaps I shall die, but if I am able to save my friends then it will be worth it," she replied smoothly, her eyes returned to the hem of her dress, which brushed against the grass and dirt of the forest. With a roll of her eyes, Aurora reached down and lifted the dress so as to avoid tripping over it, though she found that it was a weight she didn't want to carry.

"You say that now," he said, voice more serious than Aurora was used to. She pretended to ignore him as she continued onward, eyes searching for the beanstalk. "When you see that monster looking down at you with such loathing... Oh, princess, it will send a chill down your spine. You will be begging it for mercy. And giants are not merciless creatures, they will not hesitate to kill you."

Slowing down to a complete stop, Aurora turned around in a half-circle before she came to face him. "Have you ever fought a giant?" He seemed so sure of himself, but she had difficulty imagining him fighting a giant off with a single hand. The thought made her smile a little before a shadow crossed over her features again, her thoughts shifting to her friends. She thought of Mulan, the woman who had promised to protect her after Phillip had died for them, and wondered how she was faring.

Aurora sighed and spoke without recieving a response from the male. "For the hundredth time, Captain, I will not fail my friends. This is all I can do to keep Cora from killing them." With a shaky breath she strode towards Killian until she could hear his breath. Her eyes softened as she looked at him. "Yes, I am afraid. Perhaps the giant may kill me up there, just as I suspect that is what Cora wants to happen. But, to run away from this... to do such a thing would leave me with such guilt..." Aurora swallowed the lump not stuck in her throat. "I can not watch someone else die because of me, because I did not stand up to help. I refuse to be the cause, as I was for Phillip." The tears began to fall down her cheeks, but she did her best to ignore it. "Please, Captain. Let me do this." Her hands fell away from her dress and balled up into tight fists as she tried to fight the tears. "I am afraid, but I must... I must..." She lost control then. Her lips began to quiver and she put her hands to her eyes, trying to hide her face, to hide the emotions she had been bottling up inside her since she had read the letter. Aurora had been lying to herself the entire time, and the fearless facade had finally washed away.

"Then you should not go along with your plan," Killian replied, concern filling his voice. Aurora payed no mind to it, though, as she looked at the beanstalk. It was only a day's walk away now. She sniffled for a moment before she regained her composure and straightened up.

"You must not know what it is like to care deeply for others," she spat back at him, a fire in her eyes as she looked at him. "Yes, I barely got the chance to know Snow, Emma, and Mulan, but they were - are my friends. Without Phillip, well, they are all that I have left." Her eyes softened a little as she spoke the name of her dead true love and for a moment her thoughts drifted to him holding her body close to his -

"That... is not true," Killian said through clenched teeth. His good hand had formed into a fist and he almost looked hurt by her words. "You haven't the faintest idea about what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think that I do, Killian. I think that I finally understand you," she told him sadly. "You have hardened your heart and you do not wish to care for anyone, so all you do is care for yourself. But... I can not bring myself to understand why you would bother coming with me if you don't care."

"It's because I -" he cut himself off and looked past her.

"Because what? You care not for the safety of my friends if you are asking me to abandon this quest."

Killian's gaze fell on Aurora, his eyes now filled with an unmistakable sadness. Her heart clenched in her chest, but she didn't waver. "I - well, I find it rather difficult to understand myself." They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before the pirate swallowed hard. "Some things are better left unsaid," he told her finally.

"Tell me! I want to know why following me around is so important, though rescuing my friends is none of your concern!" She realized how unlady like she was behaving and she felt as if her face had gone a deep red, but she hardly cared at the moment. She was more concerned with why the pirate was so concerned about her safety. "Tell me now!"

Killian stepped forward, and hesitantly raised his hand up to her head. His expression had suddenly become serious and for a moment he looked lost in thought. "What are you doing? I told you to answer my question."

Taking another step forward, Killian nodded and said, "I am." before he placed his lips on hers and pulled her into him.


	7. Gift

**Aurora's POV**

Killian had already been a mystery to Aurora, one that she'd secretly been hoping to solve. But it seemed that every time she gathered another piece to his puzzle, it only revealed a more cryptic image that she had to figure out. Now, as he kissed her, Aurora was left with a watered down image of the man, bringing her back to feeling as she had on that first night they met: curious and uncertain.

With widened, ocean blue eyes, the princess pushed herself away from the pirate, hesitating only just a little before she made sure they were no longer chest to chest. The memory of Phillip's lips to hers burned in her mind now, a reminder that the last time she had kissed anyone had been before he had lost his soul to the Wraith. The thought alone sent a shiver up her spine and, combined with the shock she felt after kissing Killian, she felt her mind begin to reel. Her heartbeat quickened so much so that she wondered if it was healthy and her cheeks turned a bright hue of pink as she remembered to unhinge herself completely from him, arms falling to her sides.

Whether the pirate was embarrassed or not was difficult for her to ascertain. He did not smile mischievously or flirtatiously like she was used to. Killian simply stood before her, eyes looking nowhere else but back at her own. If anything he looked as if he regretted his actions and, after a moment, Killian straightened up and spoke when she would not.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said with a brief sigh, running his only hand through his hair.

Aurora remained quiet knowing not what to tell the pirate. If she hadn't felt the passion in his lips, she might have thought this was leading up to an apology, but by now Aurora knew better. Killian Jones was a man of many words, yes, but she doubted those words were directed towards apologies very often. However, she still found comfort in these words and found herself relaxing some. "It's fine," she replied finally, though the words fell flat, as they were forced. It wasn't fine, not really. Of course, he could have done much worse.

Killian smiled slightly before he shook his head at her. "I can see it in your eyes, Aurora," he said smoothly. "It's not fine because deep down I have upset you, haven't I? You still love Phillip too much to bear the thought of kissing another man." He paused and Aurora opened her mouth to protest, but the words would not come because there were none - he was absolutely right. What reason did she have to lie to him anyways? The pirate had already known of her feelings, but had she left clues to feelings that weren't there? Aurora absent-mindedly she her head at the thought.

"But that doesn't change how I have begun to feel about you, Aurora."

"You don't have feelings for me," Aurora informed him, narrowing her eyes, trying to find some amusement in his that would give away the lie. But deep down, Aurora knew that there wasn't a lie to be found. He was being honest and she was struggling to find a way to respond.

"I had my doubts about how I felt, but that kiss confirmed my feelings for you," he said. "I don't expect you to feel the same. But, at least understand that is why I can't bear the thought of you going up the beanstalk, of you perishing there."

The beanstalk? Aurora had almost forgotten about the beanstalk as well as the fact that he had been trying to convince her to abandon her mission to save her friends lives by finding the compass at the top. She looked at him, hesitating, wondering if she herself could bear the thought of having let him go. With a sigh the princess looked up at him, not bothering to mention his feelings for her, only saying what was truly important to say now. "I guess we should get going then," she said with a strained voice. Her eyes passed over the pirate once more before she lifted her dress, turned around, and continued in the direction of the beanstalk looming over the forest.

Kiillian was probably quiet for only the better part of two minutes, but the time of brief silence allowed Aurora to mull over the fact that he had feelings for her. After being left with her thoughts long enough, she had realized that her frustration wasn't really directed towards Killian, but at herself. Killian hadn't been wrong when he'd said that she couldn't bear the thought of kissing another man, but he hadn't been absolutely right either. She couldn't bear the thought of kissing anyone but Phillip, yet that hadn't stopped Aurora from wanting his lips against hers again. The only reason Aurora could be upset at Killian was because he had caused her to second guess her heart, something she didn't want to admit. Biting down on her lip, Aurora wondered if she was in the wrong for denying what she knew were feelings brewing inside her when she felt as if she was cheating on Phillip with these feelings. However, her thoughts came to a halt when Killian threw his arm out in front of her, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Stop, love," he told her in a quick whisper.

"Why?" Aurora asked in a questioning tone, not all to pleased that they were losing more time standing here. The sun was already beginning to make it's descent and they still had more distance to close before they were close enough to make it to the beanstalk by tomorrow evening. Agitated, Aurora looked up at the pirate expectantly. "Well?"

Another second passed before Killian straightened up and the look of worry disappeared from his face. "I thought I'd heard something. I must have imagined it."

"I guess so. I hadn't heard a thing."

"Maybe we should stop," he said, cautiously.

"If we stop now, we'll -"

Killian narrowed his eyes down at Aurora, reminding her that he was saying this to protect her. Aurora felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She would never get used to this and she knew it. And for some reason that bothered her more than she suspected it should.

"Fine," she muttered, bitter towards herself, "we'll stop here."

The pirate raised a brow, but said nothing on her attitude. "Alright, good. I'll gather some firewood." He stood for a moment, waiting for Aurora to acknowledge him. She nodded dismissively before she found herself leaning against a tree.

"Return quickly," she said, a hint of worry hidden in the ocean of her eyes. "And...be safe."

Killian looked back at her and smirked. "When haven't I?"

* * *

**Killian's POV**

"You can't hide from me, Cora!" Killian bellowed, making sure the woman could hear him. Not that he doubted she did. He had heard something and there was no mistaking that it had been the sound of her appearing in the shadows, spying on him and the princess. He chewed on the inside of his mouth out of irritation, turning around in a circle.

Midway Killian found himself face to face with the Queen of Hearts himself. He forced a smile. "Cora, how nice it is to make your acquaintance again. And in person this time." At these words his lips curled into a more sarcastic smile as he circled around her, slowly, thoughtfully.

"Oh don't sound so bitter," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not bitter, merely... surprised that you would decide to appear now."

"Oh it isn't that surprising, Captain. After that kiss, I felt it was only right to see for myself what the pirate had planned." She smirked as she stepped around him, circling him. "Tell me, Killian, are you truly in love?"

Raising a brow, though not the least bit surprised at her knowledge of what had occurred, Killian slowed his walk to where he was almost as a standstill. "I don't know," he responded with the upmost honesty, though he knew Cora had no reason to believe him. "Perhaps. If time allows it could turn to love, but I have more important things to focus on. Like skinning my crocodile." He paused a moment, frowning. "Besides, she does not have feelings for me."

Cora raises a brow, but did not change her demeanor. "Ah, is that so?" Her tone was almost a bit mocking, but Hook ignored it and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, that is the case."

"So our deal remains unchanged."

"It does," Hook replied with a bored expression as he glanced up at the moon.

"Then you wouldn't mind that I granted your princess' wish then? I thought we might as well give her a gift since she might not survive the giant."

"What are you getting at Cora?"

The woman grinned, but shrugged at him. "Oh you'll see, Hook. And perhaps you will thank me later." With that the woman disappeared in a puff of extravagant purple smoke, leaving Hook to himself, clueless.

He had every mind to call for the witch to explain herself, but there was no point. If she was gone it was because she did not want to be found, something he knew too well for his own comfort. Giving a final glance at his surroundings, he turned back to where he had come and went to gather wood.

Not long after his encounter was he carrying a bundle of firewood into their campsite. He whistled low to catch Aurora's attention, but his whistle fell flat as something caught his own attention. A young man, not much taller than Aurora, sat down with the princess hunched over him, touching his face. Hook felt his heart stop a moment before he set the wood aside and approached her.

"What are you -" Hook cut himself off as he caught the look in Aurora's eyes as she tended to the man. It then clicked who this man was, and he didn't need to hear Aurora say it to know. "Phillip," he muttered, his voice gruff and a touch betrayed.

The male turned his head just barely enough to look the pirate in the eye. He looked disoriented, not that Killian cared much.

"Oh, Killian," Aurora began as he straightened up and stood, though it was clear she had no words to follow.

"He's Killian," Phillip managed supposedly putting his own puzzle pieces together, bringing himself to a standing position. "I owe you my life. You protected Aurora, and for that... I am forever in your debt." He outstretched a hand for Killian to take, but he only eyed it.

"It was nothing," Killian replied, not taking the hand. "You two must want to catch up. I will leave you two alone." He glanced at Aurora out of the corner of his eye and opened his mouth to greet her a good night, but stopped himself. "We should be at the beanstalk tomorrow." And, without bothering to explain to Phillip what this meant (for he knew Aurora would likely catch her love up on everything), Killian turned around and walked away.

That night, he was up walking around the forest, unable to sleep.


	8. Jealousy

_Oh my goodness, it has probably been over two months since I last posted for my fanfiction. (Despite the fact that so many of you have asked me to post faster. I'm just a slow writer. Eep.) Part of it has been contemplating how to go about posting it, while the other part of the problem has been school work. In two weeks this should not be a problem, though. In fact, I intend to have Chapter 9 up by this weekend. No promises for sure, though! I hope there are still some of ya'll who are interested in this fanfiction. Love you all._

_Side Note: To anyone who might be interested in the works I intend to do, I have begun to plan out a Gatsby-esque Sleeping Hook fanfic that will likely be up next month._

**_Make sure to leave reviews!_**

* * *

**Killian's POV**

Having not slept the previous night, Hook could not help but to feel exhausted. Every step closer he took the Giant's beanstalk only sought to wear him down. The bags under his eyes were heavier than they had been the day before, and his lack of sleep only made him more irritable. He cursed, just audibly enough, whenever he laid his eyes upon Phillip. To say that he was angered by his presence was an understatement - he was furious. To think that he had poured out all of his feelings to Aurora, only for her "true love" to come back into the scene was absolutely infuriating. Like Cora had likely suspected, Aurora had melted at the sight of the prince, and had stuck to him like glue ever since last night.

Sometimes, when Hook would look back at the couple, he would find that the princess was already looking at him, eyes gleaming with something that looked vaguely like pity. Oh, and that only managed to make him angrier at himself, for he had been silly enough to let just a small, minuscule part of himself believe that Aurora might actually have any interest in him. He should have known better, of course. Killian was a pirate, and that was hardly impressive to a princess, despite the fact that her whole kingdom was in absolute ruin and her royal status meant nothing. Despite saving her life from the bandits Cora had sent and professing his love to her, Killian had done nothing more than lie to her. Every step he made towards the beanstalk only added to the weight of his lies. He was only going to wind up betraying her anyways, if only for the sake of being able to finally defeat the Dark One.

Compared to the younger and more valiant, Prince Phillip, the pirate was hardly any competition. The man was, naturally, more of a gentleman than Hook would ever manage to be. He had great morals too, as every prince was probably expected to. He was sweeter and kinder to the princess, always asking her if _she_ was alright, even though he was the one who had just been raised from the dead. And, despite the fact that he had shown a great distaste towards Phillip, the man was always kind in return, never letting anger slip from his tongue. It frustrated Killian that he was perfect, and then it further infuriated him to know that he was jealous of the man.

Honestly, Killian had been jealous from the moment he had seen him and the way that Aurora looked at him, knowing that the princess would likely never look at him in that way, with such concern and affection. It was an emotion that he was not well equipped to and he could not shake it off. The further they walked, it seemed, the more the emotion clung to him and spread until he could feel nothing else but jealousy and raw anger. The sun beating down relentlessly upon them did not help him either, and he was grateful when the sun began to set and the moon seemed to take its place. By then, they had already reached the beanstalk, a great, towering shadow in the darkness of the night. Just the sight of it made Killian's stomach lurch, knowing that the creature at the top would only be more fearsome.

"We should rest before we attempt to climb the beanstalk," he suggested, the bags under his eyes all the more prominent among his features.

Aurora and Phillip both nodded in agreement, but it was Phillip who dared to ask, "Who is we? Who is climbing the beanstalk? We can't all climb."

Killian tousled his own hair and glanced tiredly, and just as irritably, at the prince. He was too worn out for these questions, and he had not put any thought into it. "I assumed it would be Aurora and I, as it was to be before you arrived," his eyes narrowed as he addressed the prince and then realized in that instant, "How did you know we couldn't all climb the beanstalk?"

Aurora's head tipped upward in Phillip's direction, her eyes suddenly curious to know. "How did you come to know that? Even I, who has been with Killian since the beginning of this journey, had no idea that we would all be unable to climb."

Phillip looked as if he had lost all ability to speak, his eyes looking back from Aurora to Killian with shock in his eyes. Then, as Killian felt his patience waning, Phillip removed his sword from it's sheath and pointed it in his direction. The movement, Killian noticed, seemed too sudden for the male, but he hardly had time to contemplate over it for the prince swung his sword at his neck, only just missing after the pirate ducked to avoid it. He could clearly hear the sound of the sword cutting through the air, and Killian felt his heart begin to beat quicker.

Over the sound of his heartbeat, he could hear Aurora saying, "Phillip, what are you doing?" The next thing he knew, Aurora was holding Phillip's arm trying to stop him from attacking. He shook her off with the strength one would use with a grown man, sending the princess to the sprawing to the ground. He didn't even look concerned when she cried out. He simply, and calmly, pointed the tip of his sword at her fallen figure.

"You're so pitiful, Aurora," the prince said with a cruel smile, not sounding at all like himself. Aurora's eyes widened in terror and a quiet whimper escaped her.

"What... What has come over you?" she asked, her voice strained by her fear. "This isn't like you at all." The prince said not a single word, but, in response, stepped forward and put the blade under her neck, the point of it just barely drawing blood. At the sight of the blood, Killian lunged forward and jumped at the prince from the side, bringing them both to the ground. Phillip shouted out obscenities as the pirate wrenched out the sword from his hands. Then he turned him onto his back and stabbed the prince through the chest with his hook.. Phillip writhed in pain and Aurora cried out in shock,"What are you doing, Killian?!"

Ignoring her, Killian pulled out his hook from Phillip's chest to find... nothing. Absolutely nothing. "Damn you, Cora," he whispered under his breath before knocking the prince out cold.

After tying Phillip up with the rope that Aurora had kept since the day she had freed him, Killian slid to the ground, exhausted.

"You saved my life again," Aurora said quietly. "I would have never known... He would have killed me."

Killian looked up at her with the faintest of smiles. "It's nothing," he responded. "I would do it again if I had to." He paused. "Of course, I don't think that Cora will try another stunt like that." At least, he hoped that she wouldn't, but that was why had tied the prince up. It was an extra precaution for both of their safeties. "I hope that you know that Phillip meant none of what he said - those were Cora's words, and she forced him to do that... After we get this compass for Cora, we'll get his heart back."

"You would be willing to do that?"

Killian's jaw clenched and he hesitated for a brief moment before he shrugged. "Aurora you should know, by now, that I will do anything for you."


	9. Final Decision

I'm not particularly fond of calling myself a liar, but I pretty much lied about how soon this chapter would be posted. My apologies. I do hope this makes up for the great delay. Please don't forget to give me reviews, whether they be good or bad, I always take them into consideration. And thank you to those of you who have stuck with me despite my late updates.

* * *

**Aurora's POV**

It seemed they would both face the night without a wink of sleep. Killian had sworn on his own life that he would protect Phillip while she slept, but she knew that there would be no comfort to be found in slumber, only nightmares as she recounted Phillip's actions under the control of that evil witch, Cora. Besides freeing her friends from the vile woman, Aurora couldn't imagine finding greater pleasure in anything but subjecting her through the same amount of pain she'd had to go through during this entire ordeal. She didn't speak about these thoughts, of course. Killian would probably be furious at her for even considering such a thing. He seemed to favor her innocence over all her other qualities (though he seemed to like those as well) and would never wish to see it tainted with such a strong desire for revenge. But, after everything that had happened as of late, there truly was nothing she wanted more than to see Cora in pain, whether it be emotional or physical. She had never felt this way before, not even with Maleficent. Of course, Maleficent had never taken control of her betrothed, which seemed even more cruel than sending him away while she lay on a cold stone slab in a supposed eternal slumber. She hated Cora and she couldn't wait for the opportunity to arise where she could show her how she felt.

"You really should rest, Aurora, the climb is long and will do no good to a weary body." Killian had turned his head to look at her, with those striking blue eyes that never did her any good. She found herself drawn to them and had to drawn in a great amount of will to look back down at her dress.

"I was thinking, what with Phillip in his condition, that I should -" began Aurora, but her sentence was cut off short by Killian.

Killian was nodding quite violently, "I was thinking the same."

"You were?" Aurora asked, her eyebrows raised in delighted surprise. "I'm glad, I thought you would be against me climbing the beanstalk on my own."

Everything seemed to skid to a halt as Killian stopped his nods of agreement and a look of genuine concern managed to form upon his face. "We were not on the same page at all. I cannot have you going up that beanstalk on your own. How would you ever deal with the giant?"

Aurora grimaced, but produced, from the small pouch she carried along with her, another pouch of poppy flower powder. She was careful not to send any of it flying up at her as she opened it and showed it to the pirate lying across from her. "I could use this and kill it in their sleep. I hardly believe I would require your assistance."

"Aurora -"

"Killian, this was my problem from the very start. I did not ask you to come and save me. In fact, I should be with the rest of them, prisoners of Cora. But I am not, so it is my job to retrieve the compass. It is only right. There will be no budging on the subject," she paused briefly and gave him a small smile so as not to sound as hostile as she was beginning to feel. "You will stay here and protect Phillip from Cora, should she come to take him away or... anything of the sort." Although he hadn't seen her in combat yet, it still irritated her that he felt the need to protect her all the time. She could take care of herself, especially if the responsibility rested on her shoulders - which it did. Looking at Killian to see if he would further question her decision, Aurora also returned the poppy powder to her bag. However, the pirate did not argue.

Instead, Killian said, "Fine. I will respect your decision," he said with a great grimace. "But, how do you expect me to explain this to Phillip when he awakens?"

Aurora hadn't thought to much about what Phillip would think about her decision. It was not as if she had expected him to be alright with it. His reaction would most likely be like Killian's, maybe even with the same amount of anger. "Just knock him out again," she offered nervously. It was only partially a joke.

Killian did not break into a fit of laughter. "I'm not a big fan of your prince, but I highly doubt he would enjoy being knocked unconscious twice in so little time. He will require an explanation and, though he acts as if he is alright with me, I believe he will act quite differently around me when you are no longer in our prescence."

"He's tied up."

Again, Killian was not amused by her. "Aurora, I don't want you to go up that beanstalk by yourself. But, you're right, you deserve to do this for those women you claim to be your friends. However, do not sit here and make jokes. This is no light matter."

In all honesty, Aurora knew that this was no laughing matter. In fact, the thought of climbing that tower of a beanstalk terrified the princess, but she could not imagine a scenario where Killian was the one doing the climbing, nor one where Phillip was left by himself, tied up and helpless. What else could she do, though? Sucking in a breath, Aurora nodded. "You're right... I'm just nervous is all."

"Terrified it seems to me. It's not too late to say you'd like me to climb the beanstalk with you."

"No! No, we can't leave Phillip by himself and you know that. Not only that, but I cannot have you climb this beanstalk on your own. I was taught to live up to my responsibilities, so stop suggesting it."

Killian raised his hook and scratched as his beard. "Obviously you're very determined to climb..." His voice trailed off as he looked her over. Apparently they had begun talking much later in the night than Aurora had initiatlly assumed because the sun was already beginning to kiss the horizon. "I have one piece of advice to offer you then."

"What is that?" she asked him quietly as she pulled out the small knife that she had aquired at the refugee camp - the one she had tried to use on him. Killian, upon seeing the blade backed away slightly at sight.

"I am not going to teach you anything in the way of combat," he said briskly before gesturing to the blade. As Aurora was about to put it away, however, he shook his head. "We can use that, I suppose." He stood up from where he had been sitting and took the knife from her only when she acknowledged that he could. It was a gesture that Aurora hadn't expected and it did surprise her a great deal to see that he had done something that almost seemed as if he were being a gentleman. "Stand up Aurora, we need to do something about the length of your dress." Reluctantly, she pushed herself up from the ground and moved towards him, slowly. Phillip was still asleep, but she almost felt bad being so close to Killian in his prescense, despite having kissed him while he'd been gone. "Closer." Killian hadn't seemed to note her discomfort and, if he did, he hardly showed it as he gestured for her to continue moving towards him.

"Is this good enough?" she asked quietly, her voice practically caught in her throat. She laughed nervously as Killian seemed decide whether she had closed enough distance for his comfort.

A smile graced his features as _he_ stepped forward instead of asking her to approach. Surprisingly she did not back up in surprise. She just stood there, tense with the thought that he would try to do something while Phillip was still with them. Guilt fell in the pit of her stomach as she remembered how she had purposely avoided telling Phillip about the kiss they had shared and the guilt grew as she recalled how it had made her feel. She fell into these thoughts for quite some time apparently, for Killian felt the need to wave his hand before her eyes to grab her attention.

"I will have to cut off some of your dress, so you'll have to stand still or risk me cutting you."

"Oh you wouldn't cut me," she said without thinking about it, though she instantly regretted it. It sounded too flirtatious she realized and she bit down on her down.

Killian grinned as he bent down on one knee and grabbed hold of part of her dress with his hook. She cringed at the hole it made, but only before she reminded herself that he'd be ruining her whole dress. "You make it very difficult for me to stop falling for you, love." He began to cut through the dress, doing his best to keep the blade of the knife well enough away from her legs. It didn't take long for Aurora to feel the long length of dress fall from her body. Looking down she realized he had chopped through her dress to make it just above the knee. She sucked in a breath, remembering how much she had loved the dress. She had thought it had gone through a lot, but apparently she had been wrong.

Upon seeing her disappointment at her dress being cut at such a short length, Killian stood up straight with the knife twirling around in his hand. "Personally I believe it looks better this way."

Aurora puffed up her cheeks with a great shake of her head. "There's no need to sugarcoat it, I'm certain it looks terrible."

Killian shrugged. "I still think it suits you far better, not to mention... If it increases your chances of surviving the giant it automatically looks better than it did before." He smirked in that flirtatious manner of his, but there was something in his eyes that showed true relief at the knowledge of her being safer.

It seemed like they stood there, in front of the beanstalk, for an eternity, just waiting for the other so say something to break the awkward silence that had befallen them. The sky had already become brighter with the light of the rising sun and yet Phillip still lay unconscious. Killian had, apparently, truly done a number on him.

"Keep him safe," Aurora whispered quietly as she took the knife from the pirate, her fingers mingling with his for a split second. Killian, as per usual, narrowed his eyes at the mention of the prince, but nodded as he leaned in closer to her. Surprisingly, she didn't feel like leaning away at all.

"Swear that _you'll_ be safe, princess and I'll do anything you ask." His breath mingled on her skin before he placed a small kiss upon her lips. It was brief and soon he was backing away, much to Aurora's unexpected disappointment. Without another word, Killian wrapped a piece of leather around her arm. Unable to bring herself to speak, Aurora simply nodded and turned to face the beanstalk.


End file.
